On the Wings of A Sparrow
by x Ruby Dust x
Summary: All Trinity ever wanted was to be away from where she was. The ocean called to her, but she could never leave her mother with her socalled father. She meets a certain captian that whisks her away, and she learns some things that she never imagined. JackOC
1. Chapter One: Meeting A Daydream

**Note:** PRE-COTBP

_HOLA! Ruby here again with another POTC fanfic about the duo Jack and Trintiy. For those wondering, this wil not change the endings of any of my trin/jack trilogy. this is just for fun. the story of how the plank monkeys met! sounds fun, doesn't it?_

_R&R_

_Ruby_

**Pirates of the Caribbean: On the Wings of a Sparrow**

**Chapter One**

Meeting A Daydream

Trinity Marie stood on the edge of her balcony, staring into the sunset and listening to the idle sea sing her song to the tune of ships sailing back into port. It was like a hymn to the ears of those paying attention while the waves echoed the church bells ringing softly in the distance. Her mind was wondering again, as she often found that it would in this particular spot. She was daydreaming of the day this facade would close and her real life would begin.

Daniel made his way out towards his younger sister, his hand warmly resting on the cuff of her sleeve. He could feel her sense of adventure and curiosity run through her veins and surge into him as if they were the same person. "Sea captains and mermaids again?"

She took a moment to collect her thoughts, returning to her hellish reality. In doing so, she realized just how cold it had become as the sun slipped lower into the horizon. The wind had picked up considerably, causing the lace ruche at the end of her dress to bunch up around the curves of her dainty knees. "Yes." The formality and bluntness of her answer made Trinity cringe. She masked it as a shiver.

"Perhaps we should continue inside. Father said that dinner would be served early this evening due to company of some of his business associates."

A wall of malice and contempt formed between the siblings as Trinity reentered her bed chamber and walked behind her changing screen, away from her brother's overprotective gaze. "Do us all a favor, then. Call for Jocelyn. I'd like to change in time for _Father's_ guests. Then again, I suppose that's why you called, isn't it?"

A bell rang in the opposite corner of the room as Trinity began to undress. "Why do you say his name with such an air of hostility?"

"You cannot, by any means, think for one moment that _that_ man is our actual father. Just because Mother says so does not mean that it is so."

Daniel straightened, all the comfort leaving the room with Trinity's fleeting statements. "I would pray that you take a moment to remember what you were taught and hold your tongue!" His words growing harsher with every breath.

"I will do no such thing! I was taught that in a civilized conversation one could discuss anything within reason. I, for one, happen to think the possible paternity of our so called 'parental figure' is well within said reason."

Daniel's hands clenched tightly at his sides, loosening only for a moment when his palm collided with his sister's cheek. "Don't you dare befoul our father's name! You will get dressed, put up your hair, and make yourself presentable for our dinner guests. Do I make myself clear?"

She puckered her lips, slightly, while knitting her eyebrows together in the center of her forehead. "Crystal. I just never thought you'd turn out to be like him. Maybe he is your real father, after all."

A woman appeared in the threshold, her worn eyes sagging under the weight of fifteen years of servitude. Her dingy cloths covered her aching muscles and a bulging belly. The latter, no doubt, a product of her master's gratitude to her loyalty. Daniel gave all attention to her. "Jocelyn, see to it that she is downstairs in ten minutes." Jocelyn, too, felt the coldness of his tone as she ran an experienced hand over her stomach. It was almost like she was shielding her unborn child from the beginning of Daniel Marie's unbridled cruelty.

- - - - - - -

Her hands groped the polished banister of the grand staircase, her heels making a delicate 'click' noise as she proceeded her decent down the marble structure with all the regal essence of a queen. Just as she had been taught.

At the bottom of the staircase stood her father, Edmund, dressed in his Sunday best and awaiting the arrival of his guests. "Trinity, you look lovely this evening." He grumbled, not really caring about how she looked. Or anything else about her, for that matter.

"Thank you, sir." Her response was mechanical, the respect that sounded like she had dying in her throat.

Trinity's mother, Cordelia, sat in the parlor, glancing out the window with the blank stare that had become her permanent expression. She had married this man for his money, but her loyalties lied somewhere else. All this was apparent through her vacant stare. Daniel was seated next to her, a firm grasp around her shoulders. He had the same hold on her that their father had, only it hurt Cordelia to see her son use such manipulation and malice. Something in Daniel's eyes was trapping her there with him, Trinity could tell. It made her core shake.

Her father came up behind Trinity, guiding her towards the dining room using her shoulders. Shortly after he guided her into a chair, the bell from the front porch was rung and one of the servants ran to answer. He entered the dining room with a look of distaste laid across his usual bleak scowl. "Your first guest has arrived, sir."

Edmund straightened the powered wig, which was then skewed on the flat of his head, and waved forward his servant to continue the announcement. But before the domestic help could utter another word, Edmund's guest appeared in the doorway and nonchalantly took his place at the table before the proper etiquette could be taken. Although, his appearance made it seem that he had no etiquette about him.

His long, knotted black hair was tied back behind his shoulders, but the braids in his goatee hung loosely down to his chest. He reeked of salt and liquor, and the black kohl around his eyes smeared as he winced tears from the placid ovals. His cloths hung loosely from his body, yellow stains lingering along the armpits and chest areas. Clearly, Edmund did not expect this sight, nor did the rest of his family. "Cordelia, children, I'd like you to meet an old friend of mine," He hesitated, mentally selecting his words, "Captain Jack Sparrow."


	2. Chapter One: prt 2

**A/N:** this chapter with more Jack! hope you like! please...PLEASE...R&R

Ruby

**Chapter One**

**Part Two**

Jack leaned back on his chair, rocking on two legs and resting his feet on the table. Edmund expected this to be a formal dinner, but the scallywag had other ideas. They were going to do things his way, or no way at all. Of course, that's how Captain Jack Sparrow liked to head all his operations.

Another man entered the room, his appearance even more ghastly then what this upperclass family would consider himself. His first mate, Barbossa, sauntered into the room with glassy eyes. He searched the confides of the house from where he stood, probably wondering what he could knick without anyone noticing.

Edmund stood from his seat, apparently refusing to set aside his raking in this social situation. "Gentlemen, may I offer you some of the finest wine..."

Jack held up his hand as his first mate sat at this side. "Bumboo." It was more a statement than a question. "I've had myself a thirst for the stuff since out at sea. What with there being nothing but grog." He waved his hands as he talked, increasing the seriousness in his tone.

- - - - - - - -

Trinity slipped from the table unnoticed and progressed as far as the second story library. The goings on downstairs was confusing her and she wanted to recede her ever-wondering mind into something to steady her thoughts. Something about both of those men in the dining room puzzled her. Trinity never liked not knowing exactly what was going on. Worse, she had a feeling her faux father was behind it all.

- - - - - - - -

Jack noticed the girl delicately extract herself from her surroundings and head upstairs. In his mind he was thinking that her angelic face and soft, green eyes made her look no older than fifteen, but the way she carried herself made him think otherwise. She had a swagger to her step, making it seem that she didn't perfectly fit in the cozy little home Edmund had set up for her. She seemed tame, but something about her made him wonder just _how_ housebroken she was. He decided to find out.

Barbossa was stuffing his face with an apple that he had found in the centerpiece. The look on Cordelia's face seemed to answer Jack suspicion. "You know, mate, that's probably wax." Barbossa mumbled something inaudible, then spat the chewed contents all over the table and, unfortunately, all over Daniel. "Oh...how rank." He loved playing words up, seeing the look on Edmund's face. "I suppose you should get a towel for that."

Daniel sneered in Barbossa's direction as spit trickled down his indented cheek.

A servant rushed to the scene, but Jack, once again, held his hand in the air for the moment to be directed towards him. "By all means, I will get one. It was my fault after all. I should never have let this plank monkey out in public." He turned to the confounded domestic, a raw, smile spreading across his lips with ease. "Wash room?" Instead of talking, the servant just pointed to a hallway off to the side of the staircase. "Perfect."

Jack, too, glided his way out from the table and continued his pondering until he reached the large oak door of the library. Simply because it said 'library' across the doors. How subtle.

He gently laid a hand on the door, listening to it creak open until it was wide enough to pop a head in. The girl sat in the corner, a window at her side and a book in her lap. He couldn't help but notice she wasn't even casually glancing at the book, pretending to read it. It was more of an ornament, really. He watched her eyes sparkle as the moon cast the only light throughout the room. It was a sort of magical moment, but in the end, way too dramatic. Jack pushed open the door the rest of the way and made his presence known by stomping through the rows of books.

Trinity never glanced up from her set position on the ocean, although she faintly knew that someone was there.

It made Jack upset to know that no one was paying attention to him when he wanted it. He was Captain Jack Sparrow, after all. All eyes should be on him at all times unless he didn't want them to be. "You there, girl." Trinity blearily muttered her name as if introducing herself. "Whatever. What are you staring at?"

"I wasn't staring." She commanded, snapping the book in her lap shut. "A lady is taught never to stare."

"You were staring."

"Was not!"

"You were looking long and hard in wonder, my dear young lady. That, by definition, is staring."

The superiority complex of this man was beginning to get on her nerves, a _guest_ or not. Trinity stood from her seat and stomped one foot firmly on the ground. He had ignited a fire in this girl, making her tiny fuse explode in massive proportions. Some guttural instinct shown through as her voice deepened and her eyes lost all sheen. "Do you _really_ want to get into an argument with me, Captain? Have you ever been talked to like this by a woman before? If you haven't, I suggest that you turn tail and hide before I do any damage to your self imposed egotistical hierarchy of rank!"

Jack took a step back. He had been slapped. He had been stabbed. He had escaped death many times due to his profession, but never had someone giving him such a lashing of words. It would surely end up to be a battle of wits with this girl, and Jack would surely lose. He was about to take her advice and leave before she vocalized one more thought. "I'm sorry," her domineering voice turned back to it's normal monotone and her eyes diverted to her feet. "I should never have spoken to you like that. It was not proper and I apologize."

Jack winced just as he had when he first walked in. A sense of shock, but not disbelief, had set across his soul. This girl was housebroken on the outside, but there was a caged animal on the inside just screaming to get out. A scream that could be heard by those who truly listened and understood. Captain Jack Sparrow was one of those people.

He nodded in agreement, although he was uncertain about what he was agreeing to. Something just told him that he needed to nod. With that, and a slight bow - just to try to be as gentleman-like as he could - he rejoined her father and his now numerous other guests in the parlor.

* * *

**Bumboo: **A popular beverage in the West Indies during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The concoction consisted of rum, water, sugar, and nutmeg. 


	3. Chapter Two : A Meeting of the Minds

_short, but full of drama... REVIEW..._

_Ruby_

**Chapter Two**

**A Meeting of the Minds**

Edmund rang for his butler to send for a box. A big box. One he could stand on to make him the most noticeable in the room. When he received said box, he hesitantly dusted it off and stood on top, so his voice would boom over the loud clatter of his guests. "Gentlemen..." There was a few grumbles from the scantily clad woman scattered in a sea of smelly men.

He cleared his throat to get their attention one more time as a ringing of sorts made it's way through them. "Gentlemen... and ladies... I have brought you here tonight to make a proposal."

- - - - - - -

Trinity wedged her small frame between two bookcases and into a dark, leaky corridor. This house was old. So old, that half of the people who had lived in it, prior to the Marie's, had forgotten about just how many secret passages there were concealed behind the rough stone walls of the mansion. She only knew a handful, and sparsely used this one. She was glad she got to use it now.

The corridor led to a closet-sized room just above the parlor. There, a peep in the wall made it the perfect spot to overhear conversations. Usually there wasn't much going on, so the peep went unused. But now, she could see and hear everything that was going on in the room and not be seen herself. What kind of child doesn't want that?

Trinity pushed back the curtain hiding the wall from view, and pressed her eyes up to the hole. She was just in time to see Edmund talk. He stood on a soap box, straightening the ruffles of his shirt an puffing out his chest as though to look superior. She leaned to one side so her ear was closer to the wall, that way she could hear better.

"Gentleman...and ladies...I have brought you here tonight to make a proposal."

She continued to watch as Captain Jack Sparrow rose from his seat next, which was to a woman who he seemed quite...friendly...with, and stood in front of Edmund. "Listen 'ere, mate." The voice he had used before, the proper and almost decent voice, was now corrupt with a horrible, uneducated sounding accent. "I don' think these here scallywags and wenches came all the way jus' to hear ye measly mouth yap! Ge' to the point and be quick a'out it!"

Edmund deflated his chest in failure. "I am in possession of a map. I would be willing to give up this map for a price."

A woman in an old, worn red dress stood. The scowl on her face, along with the dirt, was enough to frighten a fleet a Royal ships. Her hands were plastered to her hips as her figure rested on the right side of her body, imprinting her boot into the carpet. (Cordelia was going to have a fit.) Her accent was even rougher than Jack's, Trinity noticed. "'N 'ho argh ye plan'in on giv'in tha' there map ta?"

"Whoever pays the highest price." Edmund fixed his posture up a bit. Trinity thought to herself, _Edmund had never had the look of defeat across his face. _It was either a triumphant smirk - one of those sinister "I'm better than you" smirks - or a fiercely scary scowl.

"Why don' we jus' gut ya?" another shouted. The room flew into hysterics as there were shouts of killing him and ways to torture.

Some rushed towards him and almost knocked him off his box, but Jack placed himself between the mutinous mob and Edmund. "If I knew anythin' about ye, Edmund Randolph, I would say that ye alrea'y sent that bright eyed young lad tha' was lookin' at ya so proudly at dinner to the commodore's office to inform him of our visit. Aye?"

_Randolph..._ Trinity smelled something funny. And it wasn't the mass amount of pirates in her parlor.

The triumphant smirk glazed his cheek. "Aye, Jack."

"Then to set'le this lit'lt dispute, I'll pay ye 500 shillings."

"500 shillings for a map? You don't even know of what yet, you stupid git!"

"Not only the map." Jack spun on his heels, placing one hand behind his back and using the other one to point to the peep. "Her, too."


	4. Chapter Three: The Price of Freedom

Chapter Three

The Price of Freedom

Trinity stirred in her bed, only faintly aware of the events that had happened the night before. She remembered watching her father convene with the crowd of pirates gathered in her home. He wasn't who he claimed to be. She always knew there was something fishy about him. But there had been something else. What was it? A map. Edmund held a map in his hands and offered it to the pirates in exchange for money. Jack Sparrow had offered to pay 500 shillings for it. And her.

She snapped bolt upright and sprang to her feet when she remembered that Edmund had agreed, with a smile plastered across his shallow features. He had sold her like he owned her. Like a slave. Well she wasn't going. He had no right to offer up her freedom like he did. He wasn't even her father, after all.

Jocelyn entered the room and began doing her daily routine. She would open the drapes, pull a gown from the wardrobe and the proper undergarments, then help Trinity get them on. Then she would work about the room, fixing the blankets on the bed and cleaning up. Trinity stood in her way and grabbed the shoulders of her faded dress. "Tell me it isn't true, Jocelyn. Tell me I was only dreaming."

Although Trinity had been vague, her maid knew exactly what she had been talking about. She bowed her head with the silence of a good servant and let her body language answer her. "I'm sorry, miss."

Trinity let her legs fail and collapsed on the floor with the weight of the world on her shoulders. She pressed her hands to her face in an effort to stop the tears that were staining her cheeks. Jocelyn dropped her professional demeanor, and knelt down alongside her, cradling in her arms like she had when she was a baby. "Now there, there, miss." She whispered, trying not to cry herself. "I hear the captain is a fine man. He'll take good care of ya, ya hear?" But she had heard no such thing, and didn't know any of the wiser.

Edmund buttoned his jacket as he made an appearance in her doorway. His hands were folded behind his back in his attempt to look authoritative. "What's all this, now? Captain Sparrow is downstairs in the parlor. You wouldn't want to keep him waiting, now would you?"

Trinity let out a single burst of rage as she picked herself up from the floor, shrugged off Jocelyn's embrace, and rushed at her faux father with the intensity of a bull. She hit him as hard as she could, clawing at his face and kicking at his shins while repeating the words, "You bastard!" over and over in her shrill scream.

He raised his hand to her, hitting her back and knocking her to the floor. Jocelyn was about to rush to her mistress's side, but Edmund stopped her. "Don't touch her!" He ordered, finding pleasure in the pain on his daughter's face. "You should be lucky that someone like me could ever take your pathetic family in." He snickered, admiring the blood that was slightly trickling from her nose. "When I found you, your mother was nothing but a two-bit wench worth less than a pint of rum. Now look at you. Following in her footsteps. Laying the floor, begging for me to take you back. Go ahead, beg." He gave her a kick in the side as he raised his hand to hit her one more time.

Jack caught him at the wrist, startling Edmund to a point where he almost tripped. "Now, that's not very nice." His accent was gone again. "I believe you have no authority over this girl anymore."

Edmund dropped his hand as Jack let it go and felt it was necessary to make his exit. "I could have handled myself." Trinity scoffed, refusing Jack's help to get up.

"I'm sure you could have."

"You had no right!" She yelled while simultaneously showing Jocelyn that she was alright.

"To help you?"

"To buy me! Is that the price of freedom these days?! 500 shillings?" The whole thing was making a knot form in the pit of her stomach as Jocelyn ushered her behind the dressing screen and began tightening her corset.

"I thought you wanted to be out on the ocean? You stared at it so lovingly the other night." His hands rested around his belt, one settling on the handle of his pistol and the other on his compass. He could feel the needle spinning rapidly inside, but chose to ignore it. "I shall meet you at the docks, luv. There is a man waiting for you downstairs to escort you to my ship. I, however, have an errand to run first." And he made his leave as well.

Trinity thought of what he had said. She did want to be out on the ocean. More than anything. She would spend hours daydreaming about getting away from this place and just being out at sea. So why was she so angered at the thought of it now? If she was going to preach about the beauty and freedom of the ocean, why couldn't she preach with conviction? Maybe it had something to do with the pirates. "Bloody pirates," She uttered in a deep sigh, taking one last deep breath before Jocelyn fastened her gown.

oOoOoOo

Jack strolled down the polished streets of this backwater fishing port. Jack admired Edmund's wits, pulling off his little "meeting" the way he did. No doubt all the others had fled after they heard that a Royal Navy officer was going to be brought into the mix. Not Jack, though. He would leave when he was good and ready. And he was going to be ready when the girl was on his ship. The house reminded him of his own growing up. Only his house was smaller with less pirates. His mother tended to disapprove of pirates. That's how he had known about the peep. If it was a good, old house, like it appeared to be, there would undoubtably be peeps all over. And Jack concluded that Trinity was just that curious of a girl.

Still, she seemed a bit perturbed that he had offered to whisk her away. Then again, Jack never fully understood the female psyche even though he was fascinated by they woman figure. Letting the thoughts and memories of some of his other female friends, Jack took a moment to wonder just how old his new crew member really was. Of course, if she was still mad at him he would get no where. That, he understood. Although, he could understand her anger, come to think of it. What would he do if he suddenly found himself in the possession of someone else? He would have to set her free, which he had every intention of doing anyway. With all these thoughts swirling in his head, Jack hadn't noticed that he had made his way to his destination and found himself smacking his head off the sign post.

The Brazen Bricklayer

Jack was not a bricklayer, or anything that resembled the profession, but he certainly was brazen. Defiant to the end, and he would have it no other way. Rubbing his head and uttering some obscenities along the way, he pushed open the door of the popular pub and made his way to the counter for a drink. And maybe a barmaid.


	5. Chapter Four: Setting Wind in the Sails

**long time no see...or write, i guess. had a lot of stuff going on and...UGHHH...you don't want to hear _that,_ you want to here this! or read...i guess. anyhoo, enjoy and review!**

**Ruby**

Chapter Four

Setting the Wind in the Sails

Kydd rocked on his heels as he waited for this girl to some down from her room. Some git was standing at his side, staring him down with an evil glare. Kydd turned to the boy, obviously older in age but only a baby in experience. "Paul Wilkinson. They call me Kydd, though," He held out his dirt covered hand in a gesture of good will.

"Not interested." He sneered, refusing Kydd's hand and continuing his duty of watching to make sure the pirate didn't steal anything.

Kydd sighed, letting his small lungs fill with as much air as they could hold then exhaling out his embarrassment. "I was like you once."

"Upperclass?"

"No. A jerk." Kydd shrugged, a almost gleeful smirk cursing his top lip. "But I used to be upper class, too. My father owned a plantation." Turning on his heels and pivoting to get a better look around the room, Kydd raised his bright eyes towards the ceiling. "From the looks of things, your father makes quite a living, too."

Daniel met his gaze with a horrible scowl landing in his eyes. "Quite." He snapped in response. The assumption had irritated him more than Kydd could have known. Daniel had no clue what his father had done for a living. He had never felt the need to inquire. Every Friday, Edmund would head down to the docks to meet with merchants. He had done some sort of trading with them, Daniel had only assumed. Letting all these angry thoughts consume him, he had almost forgotten to breathe. He was becoming light headed just as his sister had made her appearance from the stairwell. He took a deep, long breath as he watched Cordelia hurry out from the dining room towards her only girl.

Trinity saw her mother's tears and knew that they weren't from the sadness in her heart. They were envious tears. Trinity was finally being set free from this place, and Cordelia was showing her invidiousness. Seeing her mother in such a vulnerably place made Trinity want to cry, but she held it back. "You can come with me," she pleaded, holding onto her mother's arms which were now wrapped around her head. "I'm sure the Captain has room."

"No, dear," She sobbed, wiping her tears on the inner part of her hand, "My place is here. I can't change that. But you're getting a fresh start. Take full advantage of it."

Trinity nodded. Cordelia leaned forward and pressed her check up against her daughter's, kissing her with pursed lips. "Promise me one thing." She whispered as she closed in on Trinity's ear. "Look up a man named Luc Marie. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you find when you meet him."

Daniel had seen enough. He stepped towards the woman with a strong arm, pulling his sister back and handing her over to freebooter before giving it another thought. Kydd held out his arm to the confused girl, which she hesitantly accepted. With a submitted look back, Trinity (although she didn't know at the time) left her childhood home for the last time.

oOoOoOo

Jack clasped his compass in his hand tightly, feeling the vibration of the needles spinning madly against his palm. He could see Kydd in the distance, accompanying Trinity towards the wooden platforms. He had offered her his arm and was proving to be quite a gentlemen. Which, in all truthfulness, was why Jack had asked the lad to perform the task in the first place. Kydd had been from wealth once, so he knew how to act. Unlike some members of his crew, that is.

As he watched the girl walk, he compared her to her company. Now that she was toe to toe with a smaller person, Trinity appeared not to be child at all. The way she had spoken when confronted him seemed to back up the age that was every so slightly glinting in her eyes. She was no old lady, but she sure looked experienced, even if it was only a facade.

She stepped with grace and certainty, as though she had had a second thought about all this. His compass pulsated in his hand now, the arrow settling on something that Jack's heart wanted. He didn't have to look to know it was pointing towards her. He was curious about Trinity, and something about this girl just jumped out at him. He just couldn't see it yet.

Trinity stopped where the gangplank met the wood of the dock and stared at her feet for a moment. Seeing the shining buckles on her new shoes sparkle distracted her for just a moment when she found herself watching the laps in the water. All sorts of questions started circling in her head. When she finally looked up, she found Jack's arms encircling her in what seemed to be a friendly gesture. His tangled hair blocked her eyesight for a small spurt of time, then he backed away and spread his arms to his side. "Welcome aboard the _Black Pearl_, love."

She glared at him, her eyes squinting in a sort of malice that she wasn't aware she was wearing. "Why do you do that?"

Jack took a step back, a little wary of her expression and her tone. "Do what? I'm not doing anything..."

Trinity was about to wave a finger in his face in annoyance with his lie, but thought better of it. After all, she was about to get onto a ship with dozens upon dozens of men for months at a time. She would need someone to look after her, and the captain was ideal. "Yes you are. I saw you the other night, if you haven't forgotten. You talk civilized with me, but you degrade the english language with these...pirates." She really didn't understand at all and, hearing it out loud, neither did Jack.

"I shall make it a point." But which point he would not say. Mostly because he didn't know. "I believe we should get you situated and set sail before anyone notices we're here." He clicked his heels together once, waving his hand at Kydd to tell him to get lost. Jack's hands rejoined behind his back as he pivoted and began walking towards the middle of the deck. "To the left is my quarters. To the right is Barbossa's - the lovely man you met at dinner. Down in the hull is where the men sleep, but I don't think it'd best to put such a young, innocent lady down with them..."

Trinity let out something that sounded like snort, but she let a small smile dance on her lips. "Just exactly how young and innocent do you think I am, Captain?"

He looked her up and down, trying to figure a set age. Nothing hit him hard. "I supposed I assumed wrong, then."

"If you supposed around eighteen, then you would more so be correct. Although, I may not be as innocent as the age. I've had my fair share of chastisement, even though the reason was not for friendly encounters with a male acquaintance. I think that is what you are implying when you use the word 'innocent'. Am I wrong?"

"Not at all." He smirked at the girl's seeming superiority. "Have I seen said chastisement this morning?"

"No. This morning you only got a taste. But I believe that I won't have to be worrying about that anymore, will I?"

Jack smiled his toothy grin back at her, the gold specks in his teeth glistening in her emerald eyes. "Not under my watch." He extended an arm towards her, taking her up like Kydd had in the hopes of being the gentlemen he wanted her to think he was. Hell, he was a pirate, but he could be nice about it. Especially since he had made it his own personal mission to get this girl.

oOoOoOo

Jack had settled Trinity into a small closet type room below deck. It contained the essentials, a bed, a lamp, and a door. That's all she really needed, but she was used to more. He couldn't give that to her. Not yet.

His hands ran down the splintering wood of the wheel, his mouth whispering sweet nothings to his one true love: his ship. They were headed for open ocean and on their next adventure. And he was just starting to have fun.


	6. Chapter Five: Proper Attire

Chapter Five

Proper Attire

Trinity had secluded herself in her makeshift cabin, trying to ignore the horrible odor of the livestock that were kept somewhere nearby. A bead of sweat ran down her powdered cheek, alerting her of just how uncomfortably hot it was one the ship. In that moment, she decided to strip and put on one of her summer dresses, although it was still early spring. _I suppose, _she thought to herself while unlacing her garments, _I won't have to worry much about that anymore. _She didn't know exactly how long she was going to be kept here, but she planned on it being for a very long time.

Slipping the material over her hips and letting it slide to the floor, Trinity noticed a nice purple bruise forming along her rib cage where she had been kicked. It would take another day to turn a deeper color, then turn a pale yellow until it healed. Just like all the others.

"Did he do that to you?"

Trinity spun on her toes, almost knocking Jack backwards when he tried to jump out of the way. The room was just too small for two people, but he wanted to talk to her. "Yes. But this is nothing really." She covered herself in embarrassment as Jack collected the dress (that she was changing into) from the floor and helped her lace it up.

Jack took a step backwards, almost falling over the bed, and gave her a once over. "This won't do at all, love." He sighed, pinching the corners of his goatee and curling them upwards. "That's not really 'ship wearing' attire." He took a knife from somewhere in his belt and knelt down on his knees, so her stomach was even with his face. With the knife, he gentle cut small incisions around her thighs. She squealed a little every time he made a new cut, thinking only about how her mother had made the dress. When he had made it all the way around the bell of the dress, he took a handful of material until the cuts opened up and the bottom was fully in his palm. He smirked at her disapproval, almost mocking her in a way. "Better."

She fumed inside, expressing all her anger in a single movement. She thrust her arms out in front of her, pushing the air until her hands made hard contact with Jack's chest. He stumbled back, hitting his head off the bedpost and slamming against the mattress. He stood up, rubbing his head furiously. "What the bloody hell was that for?!"

"You ruined my dress!"

"Damn right I did or else you'd be havin' quite a hard time getting around! I did you a favor!" It really was meant to be a good gesture. He turned his back to her, hugging his hat tighter to his throbbing head in an effort to stop the pulsating. Reaching the door he jerked it open and faced her only after he was behind the safety of the threshold. "And I came to invite you to dine with me. And you_ have_ to come!" He stuck his tongue and wiggled at her, as if taunting her, then slammed the door shut.

Trinity kicked the door with her bare foot, denting the wood on impact. She fell backwards on her bed, nursing her foot after her childish behavior.


	7. Chapter Five: prt 2

**part three, currently in progress, is when the adventure begins. this was basically to tie up loose ends. the next stop is Tortuga. and if you read "League of Pirates" you should know what happens there. it's in chapter two...i believe. and then my version of why the mutiny took place if the basic plot. i can't remember if they said why in the movie of not (and i can't watch them cuz my aunt borrowed them in order to know what's going on in Pirates 3... i made her promise to take me...)**

**again, this is MY version. if they did saywhy in the movie, i'm just gunna change that up a bit. **

**enjoy!**

**and please review! i miss hearing from some of you.**

**Ruby**

Part Two

Dinner with the Sparrow

Although Trinity was still exceedingly angry with Jack she had accepted his pushy invitation on the premiss that she had a score to settle. So, darning the same dress Jack had sliced, Trinity climbed the wooden steps up to Jack's cabin.

He opened the door for her, fully aware that she was sticking her nose up at him. But she was still wearing the dress. That had to be some sort of good sign. Hopefully.

They ate in silence, Jack staring at his companion while she refused to even glance in his direction. Just when he was about to break the silence with the first obscene statement that popped into his head, Trinity banged her fork against her plate and cast a bothersome death-stare at him. "Captain Sparrow, . . ."

He quickly corrected her, "You, love, have the rare pleasure of calling me Jack. Considering the situation, of course."

She slid her tongue along her top row of teeth to hide her aversion. "Very well, Jack. I was about to say that I have some questions that I have been pondering and, frankly, would like answered."

Jack averted his gaze to his lap were he was twiddling his thumbs with some sort of amusement. "A reasonable request. I, also, am looking for some answers."

"I propose a trade, then." It was clearly not an inquiry. "My knowledge for yours."

Jack thought a moments, running a hand over his face as his brows knit together. "Miss Marie, if I could be informal about my next few statement, I would like to point out that although you seem to be as every bit dignified as you should be, just exactly how do I know your dignity won't get in the way of telling me all the truth? If I can't trust you, then what will happen when I tell you the truth, which I have every intention of doing. But I expect you could say the same thing about me? How do you know I'm to be trusted, hmm? And if I can, in fact, bestow my reliance on your word, how will I know that it will be a fair trade? How will I know if my information is just as valuable as yours? And is there a price at all? It all depends on what we are going to ask, doesn't it. . ."

She raised a hand to him, his ranting starting to physically hurt her ears. Behind it all, she was quite impressed with the way he carried himself - like an educated man - when all she had seen so far are dim-witted pirates. "A simple solution. We will both state our questions for the other to decide whether they are valuable things."

Jack nodded, "I like your bargaining skills."

"One, Why am I of such importance to you that you _bought_ me? Two: What are the contents of the map you also purchased? And, more importantly, three: Who is Edmund Randolph?"

"My questions are quite similar, really. Why did you seem to perturbed that I was when I offered to take you away from something you obviously hated. Have your feelings changed since then? And who exactly is Edmund Marie?"

She leaned across the table - ignoring her own formality - and held her hand out to his. He clasped it tightly, losing her smaller hand in his heavily jeweled one. They were in agreement. "I believe that since I asked first, my questions get priority."

Jack pushed his chair back ans stood, beginning a thinking pace across the width of the cabin. "Let's see... Firstly, when I first had the pleasure of placing my eyes on one so fair as yourself, I made you a personal conquest." He paused, thinking she may protest. When she didn't, he continued, "The I saw you in the library that night, staring out into the ultimate horizon. The sea was calling you, wasn't she? Just as she calls me. I was merely just giving you the experience that I love so dearly." He was doing such a good job hiding his hidden agenda of getting her in the sac at some point. Of course, he was surprised to find out that his words really were as genuine as he said they would be. "Secondly, the map contains nothing I don't already know. And lastly, Edmund Randolph is the most cowardly, grog-scarfing, verbal diarrhea spewing, weasel plank monkey that I believe has ever lived. He would do anything to stay as far away from death and poverty as possible. He would even sell out this own mother to his own shipmates if it meant a single night sleeping in the Captain's quarters instead of under the deck."

Trinity took a deep breath. She was relieved that Jack had told her that, the truth. She always knew there was something completely wrong with that man, and now she knew who he really was. A exceedingly selfish pirate with his own agenda and no sense of attachment. Then a rush of curiosity ran across her skin as she felt the sudden need to scratch just about everywhere. How had Cordelia happen across such a man? Clearly she did not fall in love with him?

Jack knocked her from her thoughts as he cleared his throat. "You did not _offer_ to take me away, Jack. You bought me. In every way, no matter how you look at it, I am now a slave to you. You _own_ me thanks to that ruddy bastard, and I do not take kindly to that. I am, however, having mixed feeling of joy and anxiety now. You saw how Edmund treated me. He treats my mother worse. I was her support system in that loveless and hopeless marriage, and now she has none. But this is a dream coming true, nonetheless. And, to answer your third question, Edmund Marie is exactly who you say he is. Just with a different surname. My real father's surname. Now I break the agreement that we had to ask you one more question that was placed in my mind by my mother. Who is Luc Marie?"

Jack shook his head, "It sounds familiar, but I've met many men in my times."

She wanted to jump from her seat and run to her cabin as she felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes. She staid still though, folding her hands in her lap until she could make a proper exit. "Jack, may I please part from you at this point?"

"No need to ask, love. Out on the ocean no one's holding you back anymore. And I do not own you. You are your own person. It just took some financial persuasion to save you from that place. Savvy?"

"What's savvy?" She liked the words he had spoke and used them to fight off the tears.

"Understand?"

She slightly nodded, pushing herself up and letting herself exit. Jack laid a hand on her shoulder to stop her just as he hand was on the handle. "Just a moment, though, love. I have something for you." Jack untied the dagger from his belt, laying it in her hands then laying a hand on her head. "Just incase you think you may need it. Although, I don't think such a strong-willed girl would."

She writhed her hands around the sheath as she pulled the blade out. The silvery sheen glistened with the light flooding the portholes, making the black handle shimmer alongside. On the blade, a picture of a bird with the wind blowing against it's feathers flew towards the razor sharp tip. A sparrow.

In that moment Trinity knew that someone was looking after her, although it was an unlikely someone. It felt comforting, just to know there was one person that cared. His nonchalance as he shooed her away made him seem unattached, but she knew he held her in a special place. Wherever that place may be. "You know, Jack," She mimicked his familiar moments of turning on his heels, "I'm not going to easy to tame. In fact, I'm making it my personal mission to avoid your hidden agenda at all costs. I know what you're up to, and it's going to be hours of endless fun seeing you play my little games."

He laughed in reply, watching her walk out of the door. "Aye, I spose ya ar." His pirate accent took place once more, which he scrambled to correct remembering that he had promised to make it a point to be more civilized around her. "I suppose you are." This wasn't going to last very long. He figured maybe a week before she shoved everything she'd ever been taught aside and join the broken english with the rest.


	8. Chapter Five: prt 3

Part Three

Tortuga

Jack stood at the wheel, one hand steadying the wooden mass while the other tightly gripped his compass. He had just ordered the crew to weigh anchor, thinking that it would give him some time to figure out why his compass wouldn't stop spinning. The rapid movement of the needle gently vibrated against his palm, relaxing his clenching hand muscles and calming his rattling brain.

A fog had settled over them, shielding the sight of a drifting pirate ship from the prying eyes of merchants passing by or, worse, Royal Naval vessels.

Jack closed his eyes, humming an old tune while listening to the gentle coo of the ocean rocking him. He needed guidance about his next move - his next adventure - and the sea was going to be the one to tell him.

Tuning out everything but his one-and-only-love, Jack didn't notice that his first-mate had crept up behind him until he felt the burly hand of Barbossa clasp his shoulder. He swivelled until he was facing the man that had startled him, seeing an unwanted look in the man's eyes. "What?" Jack spat, a nervous feeling washing over him as Barbossa stared his down.

"The crew been talkin', Jack. Stirrin' up a bit o' trouble, they haz." Jack was beginning to notice just how unbecoming the pirate accent was. Crude and harsh sounds followed Barbossa's last comment, but Jack's mind seemed to be elsewhere.

"There would be no need for even talk of rowdiness, Hector. I have something that is, in fact, very valuable and our next venture. All I need is the proper heading." He wiggled himself out of Barbossa's uncomfortable grasp and made his way to the railing. "My compass seems to be going all wonky."

"Yer compass? Bu..." A wave jumped onboard the ship, knocking Barbossa off his feet and covering his face in seaweed. Jack took the opportunity to make his get-a-way. Something just seemed so different between all of his crew members lately. When he was sober...well, not in a complete drunken stupor... Jack noticed that everyone seemed to be sneering at him, cussing him and putting their captain down.

Instead of going back to his cabin, Jack headed down into the galley where he knew that Kydd would be. The boy fascinated Jack to no end. He would ask Jack for stories and beg for all the gory details. He even carried around an unloaded pistol, thinking it made him look tougher. Really, it just made him look even scrawnier and more frail.

He was, just as Jack had suspected, clambering around with pots and pans. He was carrying a small goat in his arms. A live a goat, soon to be not so alive. "That's a little small for so many men, Kydd. Don't you think? And do you really make us goat?"

Kydd was surprised by his captain's sudden appearance. He was so startled, he let the goat in his arms jump and kick it's way into the safety of a cabinet. "Uhh... no lamb?"

"Spit it out, Lad."

"We don't really have that much livestock left. Actually, that was all of it."

Jack sat himself at a table, his hands covering his mouth with this new problem. "We don't have anymore meat left? Besides the goat?" Kydd hesitantly shook his head. "Why not?"

Shuffling his feet over to his victim - the goat still cowering in the cabinet - the cook replied, "Well... some of the other animals got sick and died, so we couldn't necessarily eat them. Barbossa told me to throw them overboard, so that's what we did."

"We?"

"Pintel, Ragetti, and myself."

Jack blew out all of the air in his lungs through his nose, like a rampaging bull. Those two were always getting into the middle of things and messing it up. Jack was quite sick of it. "Forget the goat. Let the little bugger live the rest of his life and die as an animal should," He paused, once again twiddling his thumbs, "Go tell Barbossa to make heading to Tortuga. We'll eat and stock up tomorrow morning and set sail again the next morning."

Kydd nodded and, almost saluting his captain, ran up the wooden stairs.

The goat came out of it's hiding place, slightly "baaaaaahing" as it saw Jack. It cautiously walked over to him, it's hooves thumping on the wooden floor. As it got closer, Jack bent down to it, coming to it's eye level and staring. "You're an ugly little thing, aren't you?"

The goat replied by snatching up a mouthful of Jack's beard and chewing.

oOoOoOo

Trinity paced her cabin - a pace only consisting of three steps - as she examined the things in the bureau. Dresses. Expensive, priceless dresses that once had a use. Now, there was no use for them on a ship. But was she really going to cut up everything that had once meant something to her? And, more importantly, had she really become that materialistic?

In the end, she decided on cutting up all but one. Her favorite. A red dress with black lace trim, ribbed so a corset wasn't necessary. Pushing that to the back of the bureau, she pulled out her first dress and took out the knife Jack had given her. She started cutting, wincing with every passing second.

She could hear the distant - then not so distant - footsteps approaching her door with a quickened pace. She knew it was Jack. It was always Jack. And she was right. He didn't even bother knocking on the door, just let himself in thinking that it was his right as captain. Then he threw a small goat at her.

"What's this?!" Trinity squealed, jumping on her bed in surprise.

"A goat."

She crossed her arms at him, "I can _see_ that! I meant, what is it doing in my bedchamber!?"

"Living. It's your new pet. Take care of it."

And he didn't saw another word. He just turned the way he came, and walked back onto the deck with a giddy, boyish smile on his face. He could hear her yelling after him, but that just made him smile all the more.


	9. Chapter Five: prt 4

**another chapter. hope you enjoy... yadda yadda yadda...**

**OH! i do want to say "thank you" to a friend of mine who let me use her character in this chapter. thomthom830, you rock! i wanted to use Dani because she's a strong female character, and she has a presence about her. i think i may use her in other chapters, too (mostly the next one) but i'm not sure yet. hmm... what do you gues think? read and REVIEW so i can have your opinion. **

**Ruby**

Part Four

Tortuga II

As Jack stood at the top of the gangplank, watching his men working on getting the ship tied down and in order, Trinity came walking up behind him. He had gotten used to her presence and, frankly, was glad of it. She brought something special to the ship, even though he couldn't quite place a finger on it. Now, though, she had gotten used to sneaking up on him. He had showed her how to file down the heels of her boots so that they made less noise while she was walking. Bad idea.

She didn't surprise he this time, though, because he was looking for her. He wanted her to walk into Tortuga with him, to keep her close. Hell, she didn't even have a layer of dirt on her yet and her hair was still just as perfect as when they had set sail. The men here would be all over her, and he didn't want any of that. Then again, maybe it wasn't a good idea to be seen with a woman on his arm. For his sake.

"We're going to sell that damn goat, you know." Trinity smiled, taking everything in all at once. The crude air made her gag, but when she was done with her coughing fit she was smiling even brighter. The thought that this was her first adventure as a pirate was settling over her, and she liked it.

"But I liked the lad," Jack kidded, knowing well that the goat had given her nothing but frustration in the past couple of days, "I even took the liberty of naming him Gus." Her smile was fading. Fast. "You haven't been on deck much lately. In fact, I don't think you've come out from underneath at all. It must feel good to breath fresh air."

"You call this _fresh_ air?"

"Well... fresher than some." Although there was a generally good air between them now, Jack still felt very uncomfortable. He quickly found out that his awkwardness was due to the soul seeping stare that Barbossa was sending his way. "What do you say we jump head first into this adventure?"

Trinity cocked her head at him in amusement, seeing his discomfort. She, however, assumed it was from something entirely different. Playfully, careful to not give him the power in any situation, she wrapped her arm around his, near the elbow, and tugged him towards land. "I suppose this is something of an adventure now. Just wait until I'm through."

oOoOoOo

They were getting stares as Trinity dragged Jack through the streets. Mostly from woman. And they weren't happy stares, either. But, luckily, because of Trinity's crazy fast pace, Jack's face was hand print free. That, in itself, was a miracle.

Although he was worrying about what fortunes would befall him later, Jack couldn't help but be regale at Trinity's fascination to everything. Especially to one thing. She saw a necklace in a shop window, gleaming with all the beauty that it held. The diamond strung jewelry shined in Trinity's eyes with all the greediness of a child in a toy shop. "Jack?" She whispered, almost like she would wake herself from some sort of dream if she spoke any louder, "can I have that?" But as soon as the words left her mouth, she realized the impossible. She didn't have any money, let alone enough for that, and she was sure Jack didn't have any. "That's ridiculous. I'm sorry for even asking. Even if I could pay for it, those jewels were sculpted for royalty."

Jack let out one, long, hard laugh. He wiggled from her grasp then sauntered into the shop. A woman bustled up to him, knowing exactly who she was. "Helen! So good to see you, dear!"

The woman, slightly older than Jack imagined, opened her arms towards him and embraced him in one of the tightest hugs he had ever encountered. "I knew it be ye, Jack! How've ya been, ya ol coot!"

Jack pushed her back, "I am...and never will be... neither "old" nor a "coot"."

Jack had known Helena for years. Her husband, self-dubbed Pirate Prince Tad, had been a crew member of his once. Before he went bonkers, that is. She was a quiet woman, but when she was drunk she was absolutely ruthless. In fact, she had almost castrated Jack more than once. Still, he considered Helena a good friend, but even more so of a mother figure. "Fine, then. What can I do for ya, then, Jack?"

He played his cards right, walking around the shop with an interested face, his hands cupping his chin in a decisive manner. All this, before he even showed any interest in the necklace. "That piece over there," he gestured, trying to seem unamused, "what could I possibly wager you for that?"

Helena gathered up the necklace in her grubby, wrinkled hands. "Jack... this is the finest thing I've ever had in the store. It's worth your life. You couldn't possibly have anything I would want."

Jack smiled crookedly, "I was going to take it anyway, so why not just set your sights on something. I'd hate to steal from such a good friend." He placed an arm around her broad shoulders, making the situation uncomfortable. "Imagine it. In a drunken stupor, I accidentally belt out that Pirate Prince Tad was really something of a princess. That's why you have the necklace, no doubt? Took it from him after one of his "adventures" at sea, I suppose? I mean, all that time away from land can be quite lonely..."

Helena shoved passed him, still clutching the necklace in her fingers. "Don't you dare, Jack Sparrow! Tad and I have had our problems, and that's exactly what they are! Ours! You get your crooked nose out of it! Understand?"

- - - - - - -

Trinity ran her fingers over the finished diamonds around her neck, smiling with glee from ear to ear. Edmund could never have given her something so extravagant. Not that he would, of course. Jack watched, smirking at her enjoyment. The diamonds shimmered in her eyes, making them greener than ever before. "We'll set up shop here for a night, then continue on our adventure bright and early," he told her while forcing himself to walk away.

Trinity fell in step beside him once more. "And where exactly is this adventure taking us?"

Jack refused to say anymore. He gestured for her to follow him into a building just ahead, and she obeyed even though ever fiber of her being was telling her to turn tail and head back to the ship. Still, although she detested everything about it, she obeyed without a fuss. And that was going to be the last time she ever did that.

Jack headed into the wooden building, leaving her fumbling behind him. Inside was a tavern, but, for once, Jack wasn't interested in that. He walked up to the bar, called for a barmaid, then whispered something in her ear. Trinity took a seat next to him, just realizing the uneasy feeling that this place was giving her. Her hands wrapped around her own neck, hiding her prized necklace from dirty eyes.

The barmaid disappeared through a door just to the side and reappeared shortly after with another woman. Trinity studied her after seeing the way Jack was looking at her. She was lean. Very lean. A good three inches over Trinity's own head, placing her somewhere around 5'9". Her body curved in just the right way when she walked, making Jack's eyes search her even more. Suddenly, Trinity felt like she should grab Jack and pull him out into the street again.

The woman leaned over the bar until her slender fingers made contact with Jack's chin until she averted his gaze back to her deep pools of blue. "My eyes are up here, mate," she smiled.

Jack placed a hand on her cheek. Trinity noticed just how pale this woman was compared to Jack. He tucked a lock of her curly brown hair back behind her ear then withdrew his hand. Trinity let out a deep breath that she hadn't realized she had been holding. Why was this making her so uncomfortable.

"Dani, luv," Jack cooed, "You wouldn't happen to have a room up there for me, would you?"

Dani's smile faded as she looked towards Trinity. "_A room for two_?"

"If you could manage two rooms, that would be even better."

Trinity started screaming in her own head.

"I'll see what I can do." Dani winked in his direction, then glided back through the door she had appeared from.

Jack turned to Trinity, feeling her gaze searing a hole through his head. "Dani's an old friend."

"She must have been a very good friend."

Once again, Jack refused to comment. Mostly it was out of fear for bodily harm. Dani came back, holding a key in one hand and a tray on the other. "Only one available," she mumbled, clearly somewhat upset. Then her eyes shot across the room towards two men who were beginning to fight. She tossed the key at Jack and threw the tray aside, "Goddam pirates!" She cursed, crossing the room with lightning pace. She stood between the two brawling men, holding them each at arms length until one of them lunged past her and planted his fist in the face of the other. Trinity found herself clinging to Jack's arm as she watched the whole establishment erupt in violence. Without thinking, she grabbed Jack's hand and squeezed it tight, almost as if to make sure he was still there next to her.

Dani quickly doubled back and began screaming for someone behind the bar. "LUC!"

A stocky, middle-aged man came back from the doorway, a pistol in his hand. He fired it into the air, covering him with the shot discharge and turning his salt and peppered hair a darker shade of black. The commotion stopped by the surprise of the gunshot. "Not in my place, you don't! Whaddaya want to do? Shred the building to pieces, ya ingrates!" Luc scolded. He placed the pistol back under the bar and headed towards the two who started it all.

The heavier one shoved past him. "Piece o' shit place, Marie," he grumbled.

The statement hit Trinity like a sack of bricks, but Dani was pulling her up the stairs before she could capitalize on her thoughts. "Who was that?" she asked, trying to wrench her arm back.

"The owner." Dani continued to curse under her breath, nursing a large bruise now forming on her arm. She stopped pulling Trinity once she got upstairs, then proceeded down the hall towards and open door.

In all the commotion, Trinity hadn't noticed that Jack had head upstairs without her and was already occupying the room. "Your suite, madame," he kidded, adding a mock bow and gesturing towards the rundown contents.


	10. Chapter Six: The Tale of Luc Marie

Chapter Six

Luc Marie

Jack had been a gentlemen, although he did so with a sneer and a few choice words, and slept on the floor. But Trinity couldn't bring herself to curl up under the musty blankets of the bed. Mostly because she knew she wouldn't be able to close her eyes and fully fall asleep.

She was sure that man was the one her mother had told her to look out for. Luc Marie.

_Trinity nodded. Cordelia leaned forward and pressed her check up against her daughter's, kissing her with pursed lips. "Promise me one thing." She whispered as she closed in on Trinity's ear. "Look up a man named Luc Marie. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised at what you find when you meet him.__"_

But just how pleasantly surprised? Trinity had an inkling, but that's all it was; hopeful dreaming from a girl unable to fall asleep. Still...she had to know for certain.

Rolling off of the musty, and quite lumpy, mattress, Trinity stuffed her shoes back on her feet and carefully tiptoed back out into the hallway. Everything looked different in the dark, but she quickly found a lamp hanging a little way down the hall and found her bearings. Then again, Dani had pulled her through here really fast. Everything still seemed to be kind of strange to her.

Hoisting the lamp up to her line of vision, she studied her surroundings quickly. There was a smell of wine and cheap perfume coming from somewhere on her left, and an ungodly sound - something resembling a cow being crushed by a ship - coming from the right. Thinking of her surroundings before, she chose to go left.

A large cloud of smoke enveloped her as she continued down the long, damp hallway, emanating from downstairs. She had chosen her direction well. Stopping at the bottom of the steps, she could see the entire bar while still hiding herself behind the wall. Lanterns lit the small room, casting rounds shadows from the tables over the dark floor. The one she recognized as Luc Marie was sitting at one of the tables near the bar, a pint clutched in one hand and cigarette in the other. Across from him, holding several playing cards in her hands was Dani. And next to her was the barmaid that Jack had whispered to earlier, also staring at cards sprawled in front of her. "Low card cleans the joint," Dani smiled devilishly, telling everyone who was able to see her expression that they should start their brooms.

"You cheat!" Luc laughed, as he looked from Dani to the other woman. "I dunno how you do it, but you always get that dang gone ace, ya cheat!"

The barmaid slammed her fist on the table, jutted herself upwards, and flipped over her chair. "I am NOT cleaning this place again! You hear me, Luc! I did not sign on for this when I married you!"

"Now calm down, Mary. I'll do the cleanin' this time. I got probable got the low card, anyway." Luc raised his hands to her as she snarled. "You just head upstairs and go to bed, alright?"

Dani continued to smile, with wide eyes. As Mary stormed towards the stairs, Trinity squeezed herself up against the wall as much as she could to keep from being seen. Luckily, Mary was in a very bad mood after that and continued past without even a glance at the steps she was climbing. "Jesus, Luc. What made you ever want to spend the rest of your life with... _that_?"

Luc lifted his beer and pointed a finger at her. "You mind yer mouth, ya hear? Mary's the reason this bar still keeps up."

Dani shrugged her shoulders, averting her gaze to the ceiling and then back down towards Luc. "Hey...what's that over there?"

Trinity silently gasped as she realized that Dani was looking right at her. Or at her sleeve, which was poking out just beyond the doorframe. She jumped back, recoiling herself and hugging her arm to her chest. It was of no use, though. Dani had seen her, and was now marching right towards her hiding spot. So, instead of being exposed by Dani, Trinity stepped out of her hiding place like she had just walked down the steps.

Her eyes caught Dani's gaze, her blue pools hollow and steely. She just gazed back at Trinity for a moment, both of them caught up in the other's stare. Luc broke the silence, slamming his beer back down on the table and spilling the contents everywhere. He would have to clean it up, anyway. "We have another broom hand, then?"

Trinity glided past Dani, her intense stare now on Luc. She had absolutely no idea what to say, but her mouth had been forming words before her brain could comprehend them. "Did you know a woman by the name of Cordelia?"

Luc's eyes grew wide at the name, allowing Trinity to take in the spectacular green pigment of his eye color. Just like hers. "How do _you_ know Cordelia?"

"She's my mother."

Luc took a step back with slight amusement. "I knew this day would come," was all he said as he disappeared through the door behind the bar. He reentered the room several minutes later with a photograph in his hands, his fingers holding onto it as if he was expecting someone to snatch it away from him. "This Cordelia?" he asked as he presented her with the picture.

Trinity stared at the picture longer than she would have liked. It made her heart lurch to even think that her mother was still back with that bastard, Edmund, but at the same time her stomach filled with butterflies as she glared at her mother's smile. In the picture, Cordelia was happier than Trinity had ever remembered seeing her. She was sitting in the middle of a bright, white room on a red velveteen sofa that engulfed her tiny body. Yet, she sat so defined, with her hands folded and her hair braided, that all the extravagant furniture in the room took only second to her. And her smile was what made her stand out.

Trinity placed the picture face down on the table and slid it back towards Luc. "Where was this taken?"

"At her father's home when she was only a child," he sighed, taking his turn to stare at the picture with affection. "Her father was governor, mine a banker. We were engaged to be married that summer. But...complications arose."

"What sort of complications?" Trinity couldn't help but ask the question even though it seemed that the words pained him to a certain extant.

"She was pregnant. We couldn't tell anyone - her father would never let us marry then, thinking that I had compromised her honor and, therefore, damaged her. No, Cordelia would have been left to raise the child on her own and ridiculed for the rest of her life with the only way of supporting herself would be offering herself to whoever would have an unwed mother. I had only my own father's money to support us, then and no skills to make a living." His accent made it harder and harder to understand him once he started to get choked up. "That's when I met a pirate by the name of Edmund Randolph. He told me that he could give me gold in exchange for a dinner at my father house with, what would then be, my wife and unborn child. I agreed, thinking that there was no harm in the situation. And, of course, I discussed it with Cordelia the night before."

"And something went wrong?"

"Terribly, horribly wrong. Edmund introduced himself as myself."

"And her parents didn't notice a difference?"

Luc shrugged. "They were older and their eyesight wasn't what it should have been."

He continued with his story, "Cordelia couldn't do anything about it. Given that woman have such a short leash nowadays, it was even worse back then. Her father served in the Navy, and she had been taught as a little girl not to speak until spoken to. To break that, even to tell that this man was a phony, would have been to disrespect her father and her whole family. That just wasn't in the cards. So, Edmund took my last name, as well as my son and my wife, and her father's inheritance.

"Years later, I met with Cordelia after this ordeal. We had been seeing each other secretly, and I even met our son once. Daniel. Such a good boy." Trinity rolled her eyes, thinking about how Edmund had corrupted her brother. "Then, one night, I just couldn't control it any longer. I was so mad at this man, but what was I to do? I still had no money and no position in the community. Eventually, there was no doubt that Edmund was me. I turned into the imposter, and everyone I knew turned against me. Then Cordelia became pregnant again, and Edmund knew that it wasn't his."

"Me?"

"Yes. You." His gaze finally lifted from the picture to meet hers. "Ya know, you look so much like your mother."

Trinity blushed, her fingers brushing against her cheek in an attempt to hide her rosy cheeks. "What happened then?"

"Edmund began to hit her every time he knew that she had been with me. Finally the abuse became so much that I told her that seeing me wasn't worth the physical pain she was going through. I left, and went to the only place where I knew I could start over. I came to Tortuga, and opened this bar. It cost next to nothing to buy the building, and I've been doing good business ever since. It's one of the finer places, ya know."

Trinity found herself smiling. The tale was sad, and made her hate Edmund even more, but now, at least, she knew the truth. Her real father was sitting across the table from her, something she though would never happen. And it was about to get taken away from her.

Luc stood and walked towards his daughter, stretching his thick arms around her shoulders and bringing her into the biggest hug she had ever received. It was odd, this man was still something of a stranger to her, but it felt good.

Then the door burst open.

A Royal Navy officer stood in the doorway, his gun pointed straight at Luc and, because she was so close, Trinity.

Luc held her back, whispering out of the corner of his mouth, "Go upstairs, Trinity." When she hesitated, he yelled. She followed his command, but only half way. She went back to her hiding spot at the bottom of the stairs. "And what do I owe this honor, Lieutenant James Kull?"

James cocked his pistol, steadying his hand and assuring his aim. "You know what the hell I want, Marie. Give it here, and I won't lock you away with the rest of your filth."

"I don't have nothing of yours, James. I swear on my mother's grave,"

That only seemed to anger the officer as his gun hand began to shake. Trinity found her knees shaking in unison, and she stumbled back until she was curled up into a ball and unable to see anything. She could only hear. Hear the screaming from the officer and hear Luc pleading. She finally composed herself enough to peak around the doorframe for just a second. In that second, Luc fell backwards and hit his head off the floor. The gun in Lieutenant James Kull's hand was smoking while he lowered it and retreated back into the streets of the pirating port.

Trinity sprang from her spot as Dani came rushing down the stairs, followed by Mary, who ran past her without noticing a second time. As soon as she saw them kneeling at the sides of Luc, Trinity bound up the stairs and ran down the hallway towards her room where she found what she was look for. Jack.

He was up as well, no doubt awoken by the sound of the discharge of the pistol, and rushing to get his pants on. Trinity ripped the cloth from his hands and thrust herself into his arms, forcing him to hold her as his breeches fell to the floor.


	11. Chapter Seven: The Adventure Unfolds

Chapter Seven

The Adventure Unfolds

Jack watched Trinity sit on her bed below deck, curled into a ball and hugging her knees so fiercely that her ankles were turning blue. She had collapsed after she rushed into his arms, her eyes already swollen shut, puffy, and pouring tears. She hadn't know what exactly had happened that night, only that the owner of the bar was shot and she had witnessed it, but it seemed to be something she wanted to keep to herself. _I wonder, _Jack thought to himself and he listened the now ghostly pale girl sob, _just what had unnerved her so badly. Surely she had seen someone killed before? Death is a common punishment after all, and a good hanging can quickly turn into a public event. _

He felt a hand on his shoulder and, by the rough grasp, knew that it was Barbossa. He turned to his first mate, suddenly feeling less vulnerable than he had in their other encounters. "What be the meanin' of this, Hector?" Jack puffed out his chest in an authoritative way, making his voice seem deeper than usual.

"Naw to be botherin' ya, Jack, but wha' migh' we be doin' now thaw we set sail from Tortuga?"

Jack cringed at the accent, which he had sorely forgotten seeing as how most of his conversations had been with Trinity in that last couple days. "The map in my cabin," Jack motioned towards the wooden stairs and up top side, "and some joined papers you will find there will tell you everything you and the crew will need or wish to know. Including our new heading."

"An ya won' be joinin' the crew at the wheel?"

"Not yet. I think...I think I have something else to tend to. I think you can manage, Hector."

Barbossa seemed to have a malicious gleam in his eye containing a mixture of satisfaction and disappointment. Or hatred. The two emotions were the same to the man. Or maybe jealousy? They were all interchangeable in Jack's mind.

He then watched Jack leave, when Dani produced herself at his side. "So what's her story?" She folded her arms and nodded towards the sulking figure that no longer resembled the elegant figure Jack once come to remember her as. "She looks too clean to be some stray that you just happened to pick up off the streets."

Jack shook his head, "No. Her's in a complicated tale. Truthfully, I don't know what she's doing, myself. And I offered her the entire situation." He felt a need to leave out that he also offered 500 shillings to her keeper to have her by his side. Dani would disapprove, as Trinity had when she first boarded his ship, and he also didn't want to have to explain why he had acted on such an impulse.

Dani, having none of the problems that Trinity had been having with the men - although she was quite good looking - because she could handle herself. She sighed, finding it useless that this girl was crying and spending all her time in the closet sized room when she could be top side, taking in the sea salt and everything else the ocean had to offer. She shrugged, showing her slight confusion, and began to walk back the way she had come from.

Jack looked after her as she walked away, finding himself compelled to look like he would if it was any other woman, and shouted after her, "Dani, you know why I asked you to come, right?"

Dani nodded in response. "Because I, unlike the other members of your crew or yourself, know just what's going on in the head of a younger girl. You're curious about her as, I admit, I am. You want to know what makes her tick. But, I have to say, I can't help you at the present moment, Jack. She's got her walls up. And, after the way I saw you two after finding Luc the other night, I think she's only going to lower those defenses for you." Her hands grasped the railing as she started to ascend the stairs, but abruptly stopped after three steps. She pivoted, and finished with, "Sooner or later, Jack, I want to have a discussion with you about those maps in your cabin. Imaginary? Not?"

"What do you mean?"

"The Isla de Muerta?" She scoffed, "It's fiction. A child's bedtime story."

Jack let a crude smile cross his lips. "Not so, I believe. The fact that there are tales of it makes it seem, as it were, that some of the tales are true. Some, not all." He began to show his enthusiasm while his arms swayed about and he felt a strong urge to have a celebratory drink. Now that he thought about it, while he had been with Trinity, he couldn't remember the last time he had had a drink. That, alone, was enough to make his knees knock worse than any unnerving stare Hector Barbossa could shoot his way.

"So we're really going there?"

"First, we find funds and provisions. We were supposed to fill up in Tortuga, but complications arose."

Trinity, who had been able to hear them but was ignoring them, heard Jack's last phrase and burst into a new cycle of tears as she remembered her father's tale about how "complications arose." It made her double over and vomit all over the floor, making Dani stick her tongue out in disgust. Jack stepped over the mess and picked Trinity off of the bed, carrying her the short distance to the stairwell and putting her back on her feet. "A little air will do you some good, love. And maybe some rum. It's numb you."

And Trinity, without spoken word, consented with a dying need to feel numb.

_A/N: short, i know, but very needed. it gives the story direction, and, of all else, it explains why Dani is accompaning them. I, with permission from thomthom830, think that Dani would be a good role model for Trin, and i think she's exactly the presence that's needed to break Trin of her molding, if you understand what i'm saying. _

_hope it was good. _

_review please!_

_Ruby_


	12. Chapter Eight: Rejection

**Wow... it took me a while, but I finally spewed this one put. I think it's a bit dragging, but... HEY! at least it's an update. I hope to get the bulk of the action after this, so please just be patient. **

**Hope you enjoy!**

_Chapter Eight_

_Rejection_

_Jack was being pinned to his mattress by the most annoying drunk he had ever met. She pushed down on his shoulders, proving that she was much stronger than her tiny figure cared to show. She unwrapped his belt, tore at his shirt, and plucked open the buttons of his pants. An innocent kiss had turned into the night from hell. _

_He grabbed Trinity's hands and shoved her back, pushing her off to the side to allow himself to escape her grasp. "Woah, woah there, Lovie..." he protested as she advanced on him once more. Maybe rum wasn't the best idea. _

_She forcefully grabbed the back of his head and planted her lips on top of his. He was sucked back in again. First it was just an innocent brushing of skin, but it turned passionate the moment her tongue slipped through his lips and coaxed his into hers. Her mouth parted the moment she got what she wanted and traveled south, down to his collar bone. He leaned back against the wall, noticing that she was nipping at his skin with the tips of her teeth. He hated it. He loved it. He hated that he loved it. He shouldn't have been enjoying it. He was her ward, even though he had stated earlier that she wasn't. He shouldn't be having these types of relations with his ward. She was only a girl... although she seemed to know, quite well, what she was doing. Still, she was only a girl. A lovely girl… but had that ever stopped him before. Come to think of it, had he known the age of over half the woman he had slept with? Probably not. _

_Again he pushed her away. "Lovie, let's think rationally, alright? You hate me, remember," he argued, pleading with her to stop. He wasn't sure why, but the whole situation just seemed wrong to him. That had never stopped him before. What was stopping him now? "I put that dreadful goat in your care. I cut up your dress. I __bought_ you."

Trinity stopped, glared at him with the intensity of a rampaging bull, and kicked him right between the legs. He crumpled to the ground as she stormed out.

oOoOoOo

Trinity woke up the next morning in a cold sweat. Her head pulsated in sync with her heartbeat, and her entire body felt tense and rigid. She sat up, quickly realizing that sudden movements weren't a good idea. "Blargggghhhhh," she groaned, doubling over and clamping her head between her legs.

Dani, sitting cross-legged on the deck, saw Trinity stirring and ran to her side, making sure to make as much noise and possible. She grabbed a bucket of sea water Marty was carting around and threw it on her, screaming a "Good morning, sunshine," as she watched her cough and shiver.

"WHADDYADOTHAFOR!" Trinity groaned again, seizing up into a ball and falling back onto her side. She had finally opened her eyes fully, aware that there was an extremely bright light irritating her headache further. The sun. "Where'm I?"

"On deck. I'll tell you, you can sleep! The crew has been working around you all morning, they have." She laughed, talking as loud as she could. She sat there for hours, just staring at Trinity with the wide eyes of a curious child. "You know, I've never witnessed an alcohol-virgin's first hangover. It's quite amusing, it is."

Trinity, finding some of her senses finally coming back, sneered at her. "I'm glad I could entertain you."

Dani stood, placed her hands on her hips, wiping the smile off her face. "You made a fool of yourself, didn't you? Is that why good ol' Jack is holed up in his cabin? Hasn't come out all morning."

She shook her head violently, shaking back the memories of the night before. She couldn't remember a thing, and the way Dani was talking she didn't particularly want to, although a particular aching in her foot was troubling her. Shakily, she stood and tried to regain her sea legs.

It had been days since she had been on the deck, not counting the other night - which she had apparently missed in a drunken stupor. The rocking of the ship was making her stomach lurch as she threw herself over the railing to quickly throw up. With the simple expository movements, it all came flooding back to her. Jack had offered her an escape from her reality, and she had offered him herself. Her entire self. And he refused her, finally claiming that he owned her.

The thought alone angered her, but she couldn't really blame him. After all, Trinity had known that the moment she stepped foot on Jack's ship, that her life adventure was going to unfold. Hers. Not anyone else's. She had no right to ask Jack to join his own adventure with hers.

A hand brushed against her back, rubbing the aching spot vomiting had irritated, between her shoulder blades. If anyone, she thought to kind gesture would have come from Jack, but it didn't surprise her when she turned to see the smiling face of the one who had brought her aboard the ship in the first place. Kydd. His face was smeared with dirt, his hair was matted, but his smile had only expressed happiness. "I was a bit of a lightweight my first time, too."

"Excuse me?"

"The rum. It can run right though you if you don't pace yourself."

The sight of the young boy made a smile tug at the corners of her lips. Although, she never actually smiled. "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

He nodded. "How about I take you to the galley with me and we fetch you something to eat, eh?"

Trinity looked to Dani for advice, but received a shrug in return. "I think I'll try my hand at coaxing Ol' Jackie out of his hiding spot," she added, turning and heading towards Jack's cabin.

Kydd offered Trinity his arm, then led her down into the galley where he was preparing dinner for the rest of the men. She took a seat at one of the round tables in the corner of the room, while Kydd searched around in cupboards. He pulled out a small barrel of apples, then offered her one. "Technically, they're Barbossa's. But I don't think he'll mind. Not for you."

"You're sweet, Kydd. Really."

Kydd smirked, taking an apple for himself and biting into it. "You know, my real name isn't Kydd. That's my sea name. My real name is… well, that's in the past." He hesitated for a moment, his bright smiling fading for a second. Only a second, though. "What's your sea name?"

Trinity finished the bit of apple in her mouth, gently covering her mouth with her hand. The thought of talking with her mouth full would have horrified her a couple of weeks ago. Now, it didn't phase her a bit. "I haven't really thought of one…"

Kydd leaned back in his chair, focusing on her for a second. "You don't think of a sea name! It's usually has something to do with your most prominent feature. Take for instance, 'Blackbeard'. My name's Kydd…well, because I look young." The legs of his chair left the ground, rocking precariously on only two. "You… your eyes, I would say….hmmm…" The rocking of the ship threatened to tip him over, but he leaned back forward again, bringing the legs crashing with a 'thud'. "Green Eyes. Simple and memorable."

Trinity flushed, never thinking that there was anything special about her before. She had been told that she had exquisite eyes on other occasions, but she had always come out of the conversation feeling just as plain as ever. But the way Kydd said it… the way it just flowed off his lips in such a fluid fashion… she couldn't help but be a flattered in every way shape and form.

"What say you?" he asked, tilting his head as a childish expression crossed his face.

"I say that it's perfect," she replied, standing. "You seem to be dependable, Kydd. Can I ask you a question? Do you find me… attractive?"

Kydd's smile disappeared. "Depends. Attractive when?"

"I don't understand."

"Well, there's different kinds of attractive, I think. The moment I saw you in that big house, with those fancy clothes… I would have to say no. You were too intimidating then, making me thinks you were better than me even if those weren't your intentions. Right now, however, I'd say you look gorgeous. Normal, real. Aside from the vomiting, of course."

"Of course," she repeated.

"Yeah, well, last night was a doosey for you, huh?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't remember last night at all."

Kydd rolled his eyes, taking a large gulp from the mug in front of him. "I don't see why you would want to remember even if you could…"

She squinted at him, thoroughly confused with his statements. "Kydd, what _did _happen last night?"

Kydd paused, thinking about whether he should be getting himself involved. "Well, Jack gave you some rum, and you loosened up a little bit. Then he gave you a little more… and you got a little… _handsy_. Then he gave you some more… and well… you were basically lookin' to smooch anyone you came in contact with."

Trinity's hands flew to her face, trying to hide her embarrassment. "Oh, God…"

"Lucky Jack rescued you…"

"Rescued me?"

"Yeah, rescued you," he repeated. "Barbossa was pulling you away from the group, and Jack stopped him. He gave the rest of the men orders not to touch you cause you were obviously not right in the head… then you got mad over something, kept yelling something about a bloke named Edmund. You stormed off into Jack's cabin, and Jack went to settle you. Then, we're not really sure what happened. You came onto the deck when the men were finishin' up their last game 'o cards and the last of the rum, curled yourself into a ball, and fell asleep."

"Oh… God…!" Trinity groaned, falling to her knees. "Oh, God!"

Kydd brought his brows together in the middle of his forehead. "What are you going on about?" he asked, awkwardly standing behind her.

She ignored him, standing as rushing out of the galley. "I have to go," she announced as she left, running as fast as she could to Jack's cabin.

oOoOoOo

Jack paced to one side of the room, pivoted slightly and measured his steps until he came to a wall. It was all he really thought of to do, count. Five pens in the room. Two bottles of ink. Forty two bottles of empty rum. Seven bandanas. Twelve rings on his fingers. One pace, two paces, three paces, four…

He was so, completely and utterly bored.

But he wasn't sure if she was gone yet.

Usually, Jack found that he had no shame. It was one of the qualities that he admired about himself the most. It was almost like not having a conscious. Almost. Last night, however, was one of the few times in his life where he couldn't sit idly by and watch his bad deeds take action on their own. He had to speak up. He had to say something, although he hadn't necessarily wanted to. It was so uncharacteristic of him. It left a bad taste in his mouth. Bad enough that he stuck out his tongue in revulsion.

It was still there.

Jack reached up and tried wiping the taste off his tongue with his hand. It did nothing. He rubbed harder. Still nothing.

With one hand, he pulled his tongue out of his mouth as far as it would go. He took a quill from the nearby desk and started sweeping his tongue with its sharp feathers. It seemed to work… sort of. He put the pen down and started scratching at his tongue.

He could still _taste_ her.

He started to grown, his fingernails digging into his taste buds. The more pain, the less he could concentrate on the flavor sensations.

Dani walked through the door, immediately sorry she did so. "Jack? What's wrong with your mouth?"

Jack stopped his scratching, tongue still in hand. He fell backwards onto the bed, his hands falling to his sides. The taste was gone. Had he imagined it? Or had he simply destroyed one of his senses?

Dani scrunched her face at him. "Are you all in there? In the head?"

"What!" Jack barked in annoyance.

Dani stepped back, her hands in the air. "Whoa there. Now what did I do to deserve a snap like that? Surely you must be mistaken with your company. Fortunately for you, I'm willing to overlook your tone."

"And why would you do that, Danielle?" Jack asked in response, propping himself up on his elbows. She was right, he had no real reason to yell at her. He was captain though, damn it, and he could take his anger out on whoever he wanted!

" 'Cause you look like shit," Dani smiled, always finding their little talks amusing. "And your upper class virgin out there doesn't look like all too much better," she added.

"She's not mine!" Jack yelled.

"Exactly," she continued to smile.

"What?" he asked again, his tone softening. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Dani laughed to herself, a private joke that only she knew. "Oh, Jacky," she sighed, the corners of her mouth settling into a omniscient grin. "You can't pull the wool over my eyes. I'm a woman, and I know you all too well."

"You don't know me _that _well…" Jack mumbled, pulling himself away from the conversation on account of confusion.

"You bet your ship I know you. And you, Jack Sparrow, are not in possession of her," she retorted, placing her hands on her hips and walking back out into the sunshine. "No matter how many shillings you paid for her…"

Jack closed his eyes, squeezing his face as close to center as possible. Dani was right, and he had just not figured it out. Well, some of it.

Jack had known all along that Trinity was only a quest to him. Last night, he could have ended his quest and started another. But he didn't want to. He couldn't.

Most of the women Jack had made it a point to have relations with were completely head over heels for him. At least, they were after they were completely sloshed and unable to see properly. Even so, said women were usually jaded afterwards as well, still believing his dodgy words with sober ears. "I love you" meant nothing to him. At least, it hadn't meant anything yet.

Last night, Trinity had been head over heels for him, but it wasn't _her_. It was the rum. Otherwise, she didn't even like him very much. He would even go as far as to say that she seemed to loathe him at times.

Dani tapped her foot impatiently. "Should I leave you alone with your thoughts or…"

"Dani, just what exactly are you getting at?"

She smiled as if to give his question some importance. "You know."

"That's completely irresolvable. Unfeasibly, impractically ridiculously out of the question."

Dani laughed heartily. "Maybe in the past, Jacky. Things do change, ya know." She turned to leave, her hand resting on the door as she looked over her shoulder. "You look at her differently, Jack. I've seen it."

Jack propped himself up on his elbows. "Different than what?"

"Different than you looked at other girls," she spoke as she turned back to the door. The door to the cabin opened and, as Dani left, Trinity entered.

She stood frozen for a moment, her eyes lingering on Jack's for what seemed an eternity. She held her hands tightly together in front of her, letting him know that she was there only to talk and nothing more. She waited, one foot hovering in the air as she planned to move further into his cabin.

Jack couldn't move. He saw her panic, her humiliating embarrassment at her recollection of what had taken place. He couldn't move. He only looked at her, blinking every once and a while.

Trinity collected herself, knowing that she was going to have to make the first move. "Jack," she greeted, bowing curtly as she remembered her manners.

Jack stuck his tongue out again, the bad taste still lingering. He suppressed his urge to scratch as his taste buds. "Trinity."

"A word with the captain?"

Jack smiled, bowing slightly himself. "A humble captain at your service, _madam_." He, too, knew how to play the proper card. Where there was etiquette, there was no room for awkwardness. "Permission to speak freely."

Unknowing what exactly to say, Trinity spoke the first thought that came to her mind. "Just when is this adventure getting underway, Captain? I remember being promised adventure, excitement, and all that. I have to say, being trapped under deck with a goat is not my idea of a good time."

"Nor mine," Jack responded.

Trinity found herself laughing, although she tried to suppress it. It was no use. She let her giggles bounce freely around the cabin. "So where would this adventure be?"

Jack walked over to his desk, pushing things aside as he waved for Trinity to follow. "I've been working on this all day, Trinity. This, here, are the shipping maps for trade routes. Many ships follow the same path back and forth between two points. Familiarity and comfort with those parts of the ocean, sea. Since we desperately find ourselves in need of provisions and finds - which we could not obtain in Tortuga - we'll simply have to intercept one of the aforementioned ships and… persuade them to help us."

"You mean a raid?"

"Kind of, sort of. Yeah."

"And how exactly are we supposed to find the exact location of such a ship, captain?"

"Ah, Lovie, that is the question," Jack grinned, pointing a finger in her face. "That, Lovie, is where you will see the true magic that the Black Pearl has to offer."


End file.
